Swimming Lessons
by misty-williams
Summary: After Ash and Misty have a fight about Ash's carelessness in the water, Misty decides to give him swimming lessons. Pokeshipping.


It was a beautiful Sunday morning. The sun was blazing, the birds were singing, and Ash Ketchum was, as usual, being a brat.

"Ash! I've told you a million times, wait _an hour_ before going into the lake for a swim!" Misty yelled toward the 10-year-old boy.

The raven-haired trainer rolled his eyes and made his way toward the redhead with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Aw, come on, Misty, you know that's a myth."

"Pika…" The Pokémon sensed the oncoming argument between his trainer and their friend.

"Ash, I know you, and you'll be in the water all day, which means you need to digest your food before you go swimming! Besides, you're a terrible swimmer and you'll need me to go in the water with you!"

"I am not a terrible swimmer and I don't need you babysitting me!"

"I won't be 'babysitting' you, I'll just teach you how to swim! Honestly, do you not remember almost dying _three _times in the water?"

"What? Like when?"

"The time you went surfing, the time you fell off of Lugia's back, oh and how could anyone forget the time _I fished you out of the river?"_

"Well…I ended up saving the _world_!"

Misty's eyes furrowed, anger and disbelief swept over her as the thought of her best friend acting so high and mighty when all she was trying to do was look out for him.

"That's it. I'm done."

The redhead surrendered out of pure annoyance and walked away into the forest.

"Pikachu-Pi!"

The rodent Pokémon beckoned her to come back.

Ash simply shook his head and went to discuss what had happened with Brock, who had witnessed the whole thing.

"Geez, what's her problem?"

"Ash, you do realize that _she_ saved _you_, right?" 

"What? No, she didn't. When?"

"Tracey told me. Back when you were on The Orange Islands and you fell off of Lugia's back and crashed into the water. Misty went out to get you and _saved your life_."

"She… did?"

"Ash… She's always looking out for you, why do you think she was so stubborn about you waiting before you went swimming?"

"Cause she's Misty! She's stubborn and loves telling me what to do!"

"She wanted to make sure you'd be alright."

After a pause, a bit of realization hitting Ash, Brock simply said,

"You need to go apologize."

"What? No way! She started it!"

Brock raised his eyebrows, wondering why his younger friend was so prideful.

Another moment of swallowing said pride, Ash replied, "Fine, I'll go find her."

And with that, Ash Ketchum made his way into the forest.

"Misty? Misty!"

"Pikachu-pi!"

The boy and his Pokémon bellowed. Although, Ash was still not convinced this whole thing was his fault.

"What do you want, Ash?"

Misty replied to her friend's hollers, still clearly upset about what had transpired between them.

"Look, I – I, uh, I guess I shouldn't have acted like that back there."

"You guess?" The fiery redhead replied furiously.

"Ok, ok, I was wrong, alright? Happy now?"

Misty looked into her friend's eyes, then huffed and turned her head.

"Not good enough."

"What? Not good enough? I said I was wrong! What do you want me to do?"

"You know what I want, Ash? I want you to actually _listen_ to what I have to say, cause guess what? Brock isn't the only one who knows what he's talking about! I may not have as much experience as him, but I do know more than he does about water, and for you to— to just act like my opinion doesn't matter to you, and say that you're this great hero or whatever… _That_ bothers me."

He didn't realize how much he had hurt Misty. He thought Misty couldn't _be_ hurt, or at least not so easily. Of course, his words _were_ uncalled for. So, maybe his apology needed to be, well, more apologetic.

"Look, it's just, this is what we do, you know? We pick on each other and I just get too caught up in it I guess, so, sorry."

Misty knew that was the most of an apology as she was going to get from him, so she stood up from the stump she had been sitting on, brushed off her shorts, and simply said, "Well, Ketchum, you should be sorry. Because it's been about an hour since you ate, which means, it's time for your swimming lessons with your instructor, Misty the Fourth Sensational Sister!"

"I thought there were only three—" But he couldn't finish his sentence because Misty's fist collided with his face.

Ash thought, no, he was convinced that Misty was trying to kill him. It felt like hours that his mentor was tormenting him, or as Misty called it, "giving him swimming lessons." Meanwhile, Pikachu and Brock were on land, nice and warm probably.

"Ok, so we've practiced breaststrokes, backstrokes—" 

"Misty, if we keep this up, I'm going to _have_ a stroke."

She looked at her friend and saw that he was just a moment away from letting the lake become his grave, so she told him to wash up and get ready for dinner.

Ash dried himself off and noticed Misty and Brock talking by the fire, and soon after the redhead left to gather her attire and see her darling Pokémon, Togepi.

"It looked like you had a lot of fun today."

"You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm not. I saw you and Misty swimming, her dunking your head underwater. Looked like fun to me."

"It was terrible! There are so many ways to swim! I mean, can't there just be one easy way to do it?"

"There is, it's called the Growlithe Paddle."

"I mean, a normal, easy way to swim."

"Looks like Misty taught you enough ways to swim so you don't need to worry about it."

"I guess…"

The raven-haired boy looked over at Misty as she noticed him, so she gave him a smile and continued to shuffle through her backpack.

"I just don't get her."

"Who? Misty?"

"Yeah, today she was so angry I thought she'd explode, but now she just, well look at her!"

"What about her?"

"She looks, well, happy!"

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No, it's just, I wish I'd know what's going to make her angry." 

"Ash, everything that comes out of either of your mouths makes you guys angry. Its just part of your friendship."

"I guess so…"

Ash turned to leave when Brock said,

"She asked me to make you a sandwich and soup tonight, maybe you should thank her?" 

Ash just nodded, and continued to make his way toward Misty.

"Hey."

"Oh, hi, what is it?"

What _did_ he want to tell her?

Thanks for asking Brock to make something he'd really like to eat?

Perhaps thanks for spending the time to make sure he can actually swim?

Maybe thanks for bringing his almost lifeless body to shore and saving his life?

Or was his gratitude not his only feelings toward her?

All the boy could say was,

"Uh, I think Brock's almost done with dinner."

"Oh, ok, thanks for telling me."

_She_ thanked _him_?

Ash, perplexed, thought of practically nothing but her that night, more specifically, how he could thank her. After all, he could barely apologize, how was he supposed to thank her for _saving his life_?

The three of them sat around the fire, enjoying each other's company, when Misty finished her sandwich, Ash found the only way he could show Misty his appreciation.

"Here," he said, holding the rest of his sandwich to her.

She looked at him as if she wasn't sure if it was a joke or a sincere gesture.

"Oh, so you're not a bottomless pit after all, huh?"

Misty's wit caused Ash to grow frustrated and flustered, so he took the sandwich back, went to take a bite, looked at the girl, then smiled.

"I'm just kidding," he said, handing her the sandwich a second time, "for you."

She grasped the sandwich, looked at it, and then back at Ash.

"Thanks." 

_No_, thought Ash, _thank you._


End file.
